Scream and Shout
by ArachneManiac
Summary: Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki has kept her identity a secret from everyone. One day, an accident occurs, and her true gender is learned. What changes? What stays the same?
1. Chapter 1

With a lazy yawn, the blonde academy student pulled herself out of bed. She stumbled to her kitchen, boiling water for her breakfast- instant ramen. Oh, how she loved her precious ramen- more than anything in the whole wide-world! She slurped it until it was all gone. Her blue eyes shined as she dressed in her usual orange jumpsuit, and performed a Gender-swap Jutsu. Her biggest weakness was that she -Naruto Uzumaki- was a girl. But she had enough sense to hide it. She wanted to be treated as an equal, not as a pathetic girl who needed help constantly.

She dashed out of her apartment, locked it, and hurried to the academy. Academy was probably close to the most boring things she ever experienced. Personally, she would rather be out eating ramen and playing pranks. With a giggle, she entered the classroom and took her seat. The problem with being a boy was the fact she had to act like one. There was this one girl -Sakura Haruno- whom she pretended to have a crush on. As if! Sakura was weak and a fan girl- a Sasuke Uchiha fan girl. It made her sick to her stomach to even imagine liking that teme!

"NARUTO! Stop daydreaming in my class!" her sensei -Iruka- screamed at her. She laughed and rubbed the back of her head. Iruka carried on with his lecture. "I'm going to be splitting you up into groups! First up, team 7. It will consist of: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and...Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto practically fainted. "Sensei! I can't be on a team with that bastard!" Sasuke rolled his eyes silently at him, thinking 'what a dobe'. "Naruto, you are placed with the rookie of the year! Maybe you'll learn something from him! You, on the other hand, are dead-last!" A few laughs around the classroom sounded, and Naruto fell silent. Her sensei's words cut deep, and she clenched her hands together into a fist. He called out the rest of the teams. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino; and Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were the other teams.

Naruto's blue eyes closed while she waited for their new sensei to show up. A few hours later, she woke up to see a silver-haired jounin with a book in his hand. Sasuke and Sakura were staring at her, they must be waiting for her to get up. She jumped up, following them out on to the roof. Introductions. Great. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My hobbies are nothing. I don't particularly like anything. And I dislike a lot of things. My goal is to kill a certain someone.." So one of her teammates was an emo jerk. "My name is Sakura Haruno! My hobbies are..." she let out a giggle, staring at the Uchiha. "The person I lik- I mean what I like is..." she stared at Sasuke, giggling. So her other teammate was an idiotic, good for nothing, bitchy fan girl. She realized it was her turn. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen! My hobbies are tasting different kinds of ramen! My goal is to be Hokage one day!" Laughter erupted from her teammates. She glared at them, but remained silent. Their new sensei faked a cough to interrupt Sakura and Sasuke's laughter. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes, dislikes, hobbies, and goals are none of your concern." And her sensei was a bastard who would more than likely play favoritism. She could already tell by the way he was looking at Sasuke- the oh-so-precious Uchiha.

-Timeskip-

Naruto beamed with joy as her father agreed to give them a C-Rank mission. Escorting a man back to his village- that should be simple enough, right? She listened as Kakashi told them to take enough for a two-day trip, and to hurry. She turned around, running back to her small apartment. She unlocked it and walked inside, grabbing a backpack. She didn't need any clothes other than pajamas, so most of her back was filled with instant ramen and dried rice cakes, along with a few bottles of water. A sudden thought hit her, she couldn't change into her female form during the trip. She didn't have a tent of her own, but hopefully she could make do without one. She turned all her lights off, unplugged anything requiring electricity, and checked that all her faucets were turned off before she locked the door and left.

"You're late, dobe," Sasuke muttered as she came into sight. She glared at the raven-haired boy for a minute before Sakura hit her on the head. "Don't look at Sasuke like that!" the pink haired wrench screamed. "Saakkurraa!" she whined, rubbing her head. She wished so much that she could punch the pink-haired wench into next week, but since she was a 'boy', she couldn't do that. "I see you all are ready," Kakashi interrupted them. They walked all the way to the gate in silence. Naruto didn't have anything to say to them. Honestly, she would do her best to enjoy this mission, but she hated both of her team mates. Sakura was useless, and Sasuke was conceited. So what was there to do?

She walked by a puddle of water. She didn't give much thought to it, but it seemed out of place. After all, it hadn't rained in a while, right? She shrugged, not giving much thought to it and carrying on. A few moments later, two ninja popped out from behind them, capturing Kakashi. It seemed they squeezed him until he popped. She forced herself to not scream as they jumped at her. She shielded her face in shock before she felt the blow to her head. She glared up at the two ninja as she fell backwards onto the grass.

_Kit, do you hear me? _She didn't recognize the voice. It barely sounded human. "Yes...I hear you," she mumbled back in response quietly. "Naruto! Naruto, wake up!" a voice yelled. She immediately recognized it as Kakashi-sensei. She blinked open her eyes and sat up. Man, her head felt like nails were beating from the inside of her skull. She pushed herself up before realizing that her hair was down to her waist, and she could feel the weight of her breasts in her shirt. Sasuke and Sakura were staring at her with shocked faces. "I'm..oh. Secret's out, then? Believe it?" she said, rubbing the back of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for the favorites and follows! I'll try to update at least every other day. Oh, yeah! If you have any pairings you want, tell me in a message or review! I'll keep a poll for that. Thanks again!**

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Naruto winked at her teammates once before transforming back into her boy form. Her head still ached from the blow that she had received to her head. Those two ninja were tied up to a tree; apparently Sasuke and Kakashi and taken care of them. She must have hit her head pretty hard- why did she hear that voice earlier? With a sigh, she fell silent as Kakashi started to question the man whom they were escorting. It seemed that this wasn't just a C-Rank mission, but the man didn't have the money to pay for a B-Rank.

They decided to continue with the mission and return Tazuna to his bridge. He offered to allow them to stay at his house as a small way of saying 'thanks'; even though it was probably because he was afraid of being attacked by Gato's thugs again. She did appreciate it, though, her head still ached. Though, after a night's sleep, everything would be fine. She said good night to Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and the host and his family. The host's daughter led her to a room at the end of the hall. She thanked her before climbing into the bed and switched back into her female form. Her blue eyes closed shut, and her body relaxed against the comfortable mattress. Soon she was dreaming.

_She was walking down a dark, damp corridor. There was a red-orange light at the end of the light. She could sense something there- something dangerous. Her heart sped up as she kept talking hesitant steps to the end of the corridor. In front of her sat a gigantic cage- more than 15 times her height-. Inside the cage sat a fox. Not a small one like you would see in a forest; this one was large enough to fit in the cage without room to spare. The creature was an orange color that almost glowed and had dark, red, silted eyes. She could feel the aura around this creature; the pressure was almost crushing. She took a few steps backward. "Kit, do you not realize who I am?" the voice asked in a loud, booming voice. Her head shook from left to right as an answer. "No matter, I will tell you," the creature continued. "I am the Nine-tailed Fox. You know the story. Well, most of the story. But did you know that Minato sealed me in his own daughter the day she was born?" She stepped backwards as tears threatened to flow. "I-in me?" she said softly. Suddenly, everything made sense. That's why Minato abandoned her, why the villagers looked at her like she was some kind of monster. _

Tears fell down her cheeks as she sat up in the sat hysterically. She held in her sobs as she lifted her shirt to look at her stomach. Sure enough, a seal was on her stomach, surrounding her bellybutton. Feelings of betrayal washed over her and anger at her father. Then she realized that it had to happen, he couldn't have done this to anyone else. But the villagers' hatred of her was really hard to bear sometimes. Sometimes she would just like a single friend other than Iruka-sensei. But that was impossible as people hated and looked down on her.

She stood up on her feet, made up the bed, and wiped her tears as she walked downstairs. She didn't even spare a word to her sensei or team mates as she walked outside. _Hey, kit, don't be such a brat. You're making us both look weak, baka. _It was the voice again- the one she heard as when she hit her head yesterday. "Am I going insane?" she whispered. _Stop being a blubbering idiot, and deal with it. You know, I can help you, kit. _"I do not want your help," she answered softly as she sat leaning against a tree.

Naruto didn't realize it, but a few yards behind her, Haku and Zabuza was spying on her. Both of them glanced at each other than her. To get Tazuna, they would need to take care of those ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. A good way to start would be that genin, right? They crept up silently behind her. Zabuza was known as the 'silent killer' after all, this would be easy. Slowly, gradually, they made their way behind her. Haku took a one of his senbon, and hit the pressure point in the back of her neck to knock her out. The effect wasn't immediate, but before she had a chance to scream, black took over her vision. Zabuza picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. He glanced over at Haku as both of them disappeared back in the shadows with her.

An hour or so later, she opened her eyes. Her hands were tied behind her back, as well as her feet. Her headband was tied so that it would act as a gag. "Zabuza, are you going to kill her?" the one with the mask asked. She narrowed her eyes before closing them again. "I will in front of the rest of the ninja from the Hidden Leaf. That should take care of them. Make them anxious and scared then attack. I will strip them of their flesh." Her eyes widened, and she tried to untie the rope from behind her. A ninja could do that easily, right? She had almost finished getting out of it when they noticed her.

"It appears she's awakened," Haku said in a monotone. He walked over to her and untied her headband then pulled her into a sitting position. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" she demanded. Zabuza crouched down in from of her. "Well, pretty soon, I'm going to kill you. But until then, I'm going to get some information about the Hidden Leaf from you. So tell me, genin, what's been happening in Konaha?" he said as his hand forced her to look at him by holding her chin in a death grip. "As if I would tell you," she muttered. He smirked at her before shoving her into the wall. She let out a gasp as the hit caused blood to dribble through her forehead.

"Are you ready to die, genin? I'm going to cut you up until you're a pile of meat," he growled. Haku watched silently; he didn't want to kill the genin, but if Zabuza wished it, so would it be. Zabuza reached over, grabbing her headband and tying it over her mouth. He didn't really care about Konaha information. He only cared about getting this job done with. With a hard kick sending her crashing down on the floor, he sneered at her. "How pathetic. So this is what Konaha calls 'genin'? Hah! By the time I was your age, I already had more blood on my hands than I bother to remember!" She glared up at him, screaming muffled words in reply. He stepped on her ribs, cracking a few. She let out a gasp and cried out. "Is Momma not here to take care of her little girl? Awh, she'll be sad, won't she?" he jabbed.

Naruto's whole body tensed up at those words. Sometimes she wished she had someone to call that word. Her father had abandoned her; he obviously didn't want anything to do with her. She had no family. No one would miss her when she was gone. There might be one person who missed her –Iruka- but maybe he wouldn't care. After all, if the fox really was in her, why would he? Why would anyone? Zabuza picked her up by her blonde hair, tossing her over his shoulder painfully. "Well, it's time to die," he said as he and Haku started back to the bridge dock.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a short chapter, I know. Things will get better in the next chapter, though. I promise!**

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Zabuza slammed her down on the ground as soon as they were on the dock. She let out a tiny groan; her broken ribs hurt, and her whole body was in pain. She tried to think of something- anything else. This was completely and utterly embarrassing. When her sensei and teammates would see her, she would be laughed at over it for a long time. How could she have let herself be _kidnapped_? She was a damn ninja! Blood was seeping out of a few minor wounds and caused a puddle of blood to gather beneath her. The older ex-nin and the boy around her own age were standing in a tree, waiting for their chance to sneak an attack. It wasn't too much longer until Kakashi appeared with Sakura and Sasuke by his side. She pushed herself up and pushed up herself as Zabuza and Haku jumped down beside her.

"Kakashi-sensei! Naruto's hurt!" Sakura yelled as if that wasn't already noticeable. Zabuza grabbed her by her blonde strands, yanking her up. "You got in my way. Now you're all going to die!" Zabuza said in a growl as he slashed the blonde from her hip up to her chest in a single, fluid movement. She remained upwards for a few seconds, tensing her body up to try and stop the bleeding before being shoved on the ground. She tried pushing herself up, but she fell to the ground, falling unconscious with blood pooling around her. The last thing she heard was a scream from Sakura.

"_It's getting dark.. What's happening?" the fox said inside her. A blonde little girl sat in front of the cage, sobbing violently. She screamed and kicked, trying to fight off the darkness from falling around her. The fox shook his head in irritation as he tried to heal the wound. If she died, he died for a while. He would be regenerated, of course, but he would have to gain all of his power back again. "Give me control, child!" he demanded. She kept shaking her head, muttering 'no'. The fox let out a growl as his chakra seeped through the bars of his cage over to her. "Don't fight my power, child. Use it. Use it before you die!" he said in an inhuman growl. The red chakra wrapped itself around her, and the room started to fill with the dim light again.. _

The fatal wound was closing up slowly but surely. All the minor cuts and bruises was disappearing, and her ribs was cracking back in place. A fight was going on around her; it seemed as if it were at a drawl. Not that the genin could tell much about her enviroment right now. Her nails grew into claws, and her canine teeth into fangs. She pushed herself up onto her feet. Only one thing was clicking in her mind. She wanted revenge, and she wanted it now. Her eyes cast over to Haku whom was standing over Sasuke, about to plant the killing blow. She growled as her feet raced over to him at inhuman speed. She didn't even use Jutsu- her claws did all the fighting for her. She clawed, and growled- the beast inside of her escaping. Haku was unable to understand what was happening; how was this weak girl able to be his equal- no, his superior- when she was much weaker earlier? As she had him on the ground, about to kill him, he smiled at her. She hesitated, her eyes flashing back to blue. Would she kill him?

"Go on. Kill me. It's not merciful to let your enemy live," Haku said. She shook her head. "I was going to kill your friend. Doesn't that mean anything?" She drawed back her hand, forming a fist and punched his cheek. "A shinobi doesn't have to kill to win," she whispered before standing up. Her eyes glanced at Kakashi. He had things under control with his hounds on Zabuza. She cast her eyes away from him. She much as she want revenge on him; she really hadn't wanted to see anyone die. She glanced over at Sasuke as dizziness spread through her body. Even if the nine-tails had healed her wounds, that didn't mean that she recovered all of the blood she had lost yet. She tipped over to one side, barely catching herself.

Naruto pushed herself up and walked over to where Sasuke and Sakura were watching Kakashi. All of the sudden, she noticed a gang that was coming towards them. A short man with a cast and cane was standing in front of the thugs. He started to talk, and Zabuza eventually got angry. He glanced back at us. "One of you toss me a kunai knife." She slid one out of her pocket, throwing it to him. He caught it in his mouth and ran towards them, slashing his way through them to get to Gato. It didn't take too long for Gato to be pushed into the water to drown. Zabuza turned around, wobbling over to lie beside Haku's body. "Haku," he whispered, "I never even thanked you once. I hope you can forgive me." The man's eyes closed his hand near Haku's.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this is so boring and short. The next chapters will be getting into meeting Jiraiya and into the Chunnin Exams, that will be so much better. Thanks to everyone who has stuck to reading these updates. Thanks to everyone who has favorited this fanfiction and stuck with me! 3**

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Naruto sucked in her breath through her teeth. She had a little bit of extra time on her hands- she didn't have any missions at this moment. She had been meaning to talk to her father about a few things. She hadn't even seen him since getting her last mission, she had no reason to. They never had any talk like a daughter and father would- in fact, not many people even knew that she was his daughter, er, well 'son'. She wasn't angry about the fact that he had made her -his own daughter- until the Kyuubi's jailer. No, it was more about how he had abandoned her and left her to fend for herself even though Minato knew good and well that the villagers would hate her no matter what she did. How could he abandon his own daughter? A few tears slipped down her face, and she wiped them away.

She preformed the Jutsu so that she would appear as a male before she left her apartment, walking to the Hokage building. Civilians glared at her as if saying 'how dare you approach our Hokage!', making her somewhat intimidated. She walked inside, slowly approaching his office. She checked that no one was in other than Minato before she shut the door behind her. "Hello, _father_," she greeted, spitting out the word 'father' with venom. She released her jutsu and appeared in her real female form.

"Naruto," he greeted with a nod. Her eye twitched as she carried on. "I believe we have something to talk about," she said bluntly. His blue eyes narrowed and met her's. "I know everything, ya know. The nine-tails is sealed inside of me." His eyes softened. "I'm sor-"

"Don't even start with the 'I'm sorry'. You know, I don't even mind that the nine-tails is inside me. What I do mind, though, is that you abandoned me. You left me to fend for myself. How could you? I'm your daughter, damnit!" she ranted as water accumalated around her eyes. Minato pushed himself up, but Naruto shook her head, turning to the door. "You've never been there. I don't expect that to change as I've always been alone," she said she pushed open the door, running as fast as she could out of the Hokage building, not bothering to change back into her male form.

Minato fell back into his seat with his face in his hands. Guilt pierced his veins as he held back tears. He was a disgrace of a 'father'. He had never wanted to hurt her, not ever. He just thought it would be better for her to not be his shadow, for people to know who she was for things that she done. Naruto probably thought he hated her even though that was far from the case- he just wanted to protect her. Was there anything he could do to make it up to her, or was it too late to do anything? Minato knew that he had to at least try to do something about this.

Naruto bumped into someone, and she fell backwards, landing on her butt. She glanced up with at the person. "S-sorry," she muttered, pushing herself up. "Watch where you're going brat!" the guy with purple make-up hissed. "...You're not from here," she stated. "We're here for the Chunnin Exams," the girl said. "Yeah, brat. So watch we're you're going next time."

Her left eye twitched in annoyance as she held up her fist. "Don't tell me what to do in my own village!" she retorted angrily. The guy with the purple make-up grabbed her by her shirt, pulling her closer. "Hey, look. A leaf genin. I think this squirt needs to be taught a lesson, Temari." "Kankuro, can't you just let it slide? She's just a kid...Fine. But I have nothing to do with this, ok?"

Just as Kankuro was about to punch her, a pebble hit him in the arm. He released her, looking around for whoever threw it. Sasuke jumped down from a tree beside her, pulling her by her arm beside him. "You're a long way from home and way out of your league. What are you doing here?" Sasuke said in his monotone. Suddenly a red-head fell down from the same tree Sasuke was in. "Chunnin exams," he answered coldly.

"Hm," Sasuke said as he turned to leave with his hands in his pocket. Naruto glared at Kankuro before turning and walking beside Sasuke. She did the handsigns so she would turn back into her male form. "Thanks," she mumbled to Sasuke before running off from him in embarrassment back to her apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for the review, favorites, and follows! I really appreciate it! C:**

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"The Chunnin exams?! We really get to participate, sensei?!" Naruto said, jumping up and down. Kakashi nodded and flashed his signature eye smile. "That's up to you guys," he said, handing Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto each a contract to fill out. "If you want to participate, then you have to fill out this paperwork and turn it in tomorrow before twelve o' clock. You are all young and inexperienced, but I believe in all of you. There is no mission today. Be sure to think it over and fill out the paperwork if you want to participate," Kakashi finished before using the Body Flicker Technique to leave them.

The blonde glanced over at her teammates- this was probably something they needed to discuss together. Sasuke met her gaze and nodded, guessing what she was thinking. Sakura was twiddling with her thumbs, her eyes not meeting their gaze. "Sakura, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to," Sasuke and Naruto simultaneously said. "It's not that I don't want to. It's just, I'm inexperienced, and we haven't even been genin that long," she reasoned. The blonde silently agreed with her teammate: they were inexperienced and young. But how would they ever know if they didn't try? "But, I guess I need to get experience to not be inexperienced, and how would that be possible if I didn't at least try, I guess. I'm in," Sakura decided. Naruto flashed a grin at her and Sasuke. "I'm in as well! Believe it!" she said, fist pumping the air. "Same goes for me," said Sasuke.

"We can discuss strategy before we turn in the papers. Let's meet up at nine o' clock right here," Sasuke decided for all of them. Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. Since when did he get to decide? Even though it was a good idea. Both of the females nodded their heads in agreement before heading their separate ways. She put her hands in her pockets as she made her way through the village. A few glares were sent her way, and she heard whispering among them even though they obviously tried to be quiet. An idea suddenly appeared in her head. The Chunnin Exams has matches against the contestants, right? Maybe she could earn some respect from the villagers that way! She turned her head over to the villagers and flashed a smile at them. A lot of the women hid their children, and the men ushered their wives behind them. She tried to not feel so disappointed, as she had expected a similar reaction from them. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and walked confidently down the street.

When she finally made it to her apartment, she unlocked it and stepped inside. She turned back into her female form then hurried over to her table and grabbed a pen. She didn't bother reading over the information; she just signed her name where ever it asked for it. She jumped around her house, looking for things to pack. "Raman for sure!" she said, as she grabbed her backpack. She took about ten Raman packets and shoved them in the bag. Just then, a knock sounded on her door. She tilted her head and walked over to the door. Why would anyone visit her? She opened the door and stepped back a few steps.

"Father, why are you here?" Naruto asked with a frown on her face. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He beamed at her with a smile. "I heard that you have the option to participate in the Chunnin Exams!" he said. Her hand moved to the back of her head as she smiled weakly. "I'm going to! I've already signed my paperwork!" She felt awkward talking to her father like this. It seemed out of place and unnatural. Minato moved his hand to her hair, ruffling it. He breathed in a deep breath. "Can we sit down for a moment, Naruto?" he asked. She moved to her kitchen, pulling out a chair then sitting with him in front of her.

"I know that I have been a terrible father. I can't blame you for being angry with me," he started. Her blue eyes met his momentarily before falling to the floor. "I feel terrible about everything. It's my entire fault. I don't even deserve to talk to you right now. I know you must hate me, but I was wondering if..if I could maybe have a second chance? I promise to do better. I want to make you happy; I want to do what I should have done all along. I'm so sorry, Naruto," he said as a few tears fell down his face. Her heart skipped a beat when he said those words. Was he sincere or just messing with her? She stood up and got out of her chair. She hesitated before going into his arms. Tears spilt down her face, but they weren't sad tears, they were happy ones.

She pulled back from the embrace and gazed into his eyes. "I don't know if I can trust you. But, I'm willing to try," she said. He smiled at her softly. "That's all I can ask for right now," he replied. He glanced around her apartment. "Naruto, would you like to move in with me? I know that it's sudden, but I know it must be hard to be living alone, and-" Naruto cut him off. "Really? You mean it? You would let me move in with you?" "Of course I would. The reason I left you all this time was because I wanted you to be safe. I know I went about it the wrong way, but.." he trailed off. "It's going to take a while to make things up to you, but I promise that I will try my best." She held out her hand, looking at her seriously. "Pinky promise?" she said. His little finger intertwined with her's. "Pinky promise," he agreed. "When can I move in?" she asked curiously. "I'll have help taking your things to the house tomorrow."

Minato glanced at her paperwork nervously. "Naruto, are you sure you want to participate? I mean, you're young- you have time. Some of the ones participating are here, and they-" he said. "I know. I ran into some of them," she said, "They seem tough. But we have an advantage; they're underestimating us because we're rookies. Besides, how am I going to learn if I don't take risks?" she said. "I suppose so. Make sure to read over the paperwork, Naruto, okay?" he insisted. She groaned a little- as she wasn't planning on it, nor did she want to. Minato glanced at his watch with a look of dread on his face. Naruto tilted her head. "What's wrong?" He suddenly looked sullen. "It's time for paperwork again," he sulked. Naruto rolled her eyes before pushing him out of the door. "Then go and work. I have things to do anyway, okay?" she said before shutting the door.

Naruto walked over to the paperwork again. Read over it or not read over it? She sat down, picking it up and started. After reading the first line of the small print, she shoved it back on the table. "No way am I going to read over that!" she said. She started to pack things in her backpack again. Kunai and shuriken filled most of her bag along with a few necessities. She checked her clock, it was only six o' clock. She would get some raman then go to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I took so long to update! I got really busy! **

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Naruto and her teammates had passed the first part of the Chunnin Exams with ease. Er, okay, the blonde had a little bit of trouble, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. But now, it was time for the second part of the Chunnin Exams. From what Anko, the second proctor, had said, some of them might not even make it out. Even though it was risky, her and her teammates could do it; that was something she was sure of. She hurried over to the stand, trading in the signed contract for the scroll- which happened to be a Heaven scroll. She immediately hid it in her bag before running back over to Sasuke and Sakura. Older teams were checking out the rookies, and they might be targeted if they saw that they had the scroll they needed. Likewise, they were checking out rookie teams for the scroll they needed. Once they were standing beside their gate, they waited anxiously for Anko to tell them to go.

When the gates opened, Konaha's Team Seven speed into the forest. After traveling about a mile, they slowed down and began to walk on grass only so they might be harder to track by their footprints. Naruto felt a chill crawl down her spine- this had to be the creepiest place ever. Why did the second part have to be here of all places. She let out a sigh. Her team eventually stopped and hid behind a bush, crouched in a circle. "So, the strategy is to ambush one of the rookie teams and run," Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded. "Our best chance would be by that strategy. But, I'm starting to rethink it. The only teams to ambush would be Neji, Lee, and TenTen or Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. You know how taking on Neji, Lee, and TenTen would turn out. But taking on Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji isn't a good idea unless we were in a team of 5 or more. So, maybe we should rethink this.."

Naruto tried to think, but no ideas came to her head. "So, what about the team of rookies from the Sand?" she asked. "Or Kiba, Hinata, and Shino?" Sasuke shook his head. "The Sand's team gives me a bad feeling. But I wouldn't want to go up against Shino. Plus, we don't know if either of them have the scroll we need." The blonde feel onto her back irritably. "How about we set up a trap for any teams that pass through here? Paper bombs covering a net, perhaps?" Sakura suggested. "You know…that's so simple, it just might work," Sasuke agreed.

-Timeskip-

It took a while for a team to fall victim to their trick, but it eventually worked. There's a reason why old tricks are still used- they still work. Now they had a Heaven and Earth scroll. It was time to go to the tower. They definitely didn't beat any records- time was almost up now. Naruto bit her lip- she had several bruises and scrapes covering her body. She was so ready to get out of this disgusting, creepy forest. She wanted _real_ food. Raman! She let out a soft giggle at the thought, and started to daydream. "Raman…raman..raman.." she mumbled with a grin. A smack to the top of her head knocked her out of her daydream. "Shut up, you idiot! We don't know who could still be out here or what kind of creatures could be lurking around!" the pinkette scolded. Naruto pouted a little before gazing ahead excitedly. They were defiantly close to the tower; they had been walking for what seemed _forever!_

At last, a tower cast a shadow over them. Naruto's grin stretched even wider as they walked closer to the entrance. Finally they were here! Maybe there was an advantage to not being some of the first ones here. A lot of the genin had left apparently, so that lowered the chances of being ambushed. Maybe they wouldn't set a record, but this would be useful. After all, they were all exhausted. Even Naruto, though she tried her best to not show it. They stepped inside the tower and read the note on the wall. Naruto pulled out the two scrolls. Sasuke nodded to her as she and Sakura opened both of them. "Throw it! It's a Summoning Jutsu!" Sasuke said as the two girls instinctively threw them.

Iruka appeared standing on the two scrolls, and he waved at them. "Hey guys! You passed this part, huh? Congratulations!" he said. Naruto grinned a little and started to jump up and down. "Hey! Hey! Sensei! We should get raman after all this!" she said. Iruka laughed before giving her a stern look. "Settle down, Naruto." "Hey, sensei? What does the saying on the wall mean?" Sakura asked curiously. "That would be one of my jobs. It translates to if you're physically unable, work on that. It you're mentally unable, work on that. Both of these things are important things in ninja."

After that, Iruka left them and they walked out to the arena. Apparently –from what her father and a proctor had said, more teams got through this than they originally thought would. They had to have a round of battles to decide the battles. Sasuke won. Shino won. Kankuro of the Sand Village won. Temari of the Sand Village won. Shikamaru won. Then, it was her turn to fight. She fist pumped the air, obviously excited to fight. Her opponent was none other than Kiba. She could win this. She had to win this.

Naruto ran down the stairs to the arena and faced Kiba with a determined face. She couldn't lose this battle. She absolutely, positively couldn't. "Naruto, I suggest you back out of this battle. You can't handle me, and you know it," he said smugly. "Oh, yeah? I bet I could beat you with my hands tied behind my back! You're just scared! Scaredy-cat!" she retorted with a laugh. One of Kiba's eyes twitched. "Fine. But you asked for it, twerp!" he said as he dashed to her with insane speed –for a genin- and punched her. She was knocked backwards several feet back, but did her best to remain on her feet. He came at her again, and knocked her into the wall this time. She fell down on the ground. "Hah! See! You couldn't beat me even if you tried! You're the boy who couldn't even do a transformation jutsu in the academy! What a loser!" Kiba jeered while laughing.

Naruto pushed herself up on her feet, wiping away the blood on her mouth. "Oh please! I was just testing you out. Frankly, you hit like an old lady!" she said. She formed shadow clones and ran at him in the heat of the battle. She managed to land a few blows on him before he punched her backwards, and her shadow clones poofed. "Man-Beast Clone!" he hissed as he and Akamaru changed into the same thing. She knew that she had to dodge him- she just had to. "Here we come," he growled as he came at her with incredible speed. Both of them were attacking her. Several blows landed, almost knocking her out. As the dust cleared, her male formed poofed away, and her real form appeared. She pushed herself up. "What was that, dog-breathe? Something about beating me? Because I can guarantee that's not going to happen!" she said. "You're a woman? What is that, some jutsu to try to trick me? Because that's not going to work!" he said.

Naruto frowned at him as she came at him. "No, dumbass. This is the real, hundred-percent version of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze!" she hissed, punching him in the jaw, sending him lying on the ground motionless. "You let your guard down. Stupid," she said with a wink. Sakura was clapping and jumping for her, and Sasuke let out a satisfied smirk. Most of the genin were staring at her dumbfounded. Minato looked down at her, obviously pleased with her. He was still worried that old enemies of his would come and take it out on her, but he was sure that when and if those times came, she would be able to defend herself.


	7. Chapter 7

To put simply, a lot changed for Naruto after the preliminary exams. Glares were still sent her of course, but not many would go out of their way to insult her anymore. It was quite irritating, though. She almost wished that she wouldn't have said anything about her being a Namikaze. She didn't even care that her father was the fourth Hokage; she wanted to be known for the things that she did- not what her father did. She leaned against a building, waiting for Iruka. He had promised that he would take her out for raman- which she gladly accepted. Iruka-sensei wasn't treating her any differently than he did before, and she really appreciated it.

"Naruto!" a voice shouted. She glanced over in the direction and ran over to Iruka. "Sensei! There you are!" Iruka walked inside Ichiraku's Raman and sat down beside Naruto. Both of them ordered and started to talk as they waited for their food to be cooked. "So you're going to be in the final round? I wish I could watch. We have class on that day," he said. "You will hear it soon enough!" she said with a grin. "Naruto…the champion! Woo!" she said, almost falling out of her seat in her daydreams. Iruka ruffled her hair. "Well, I wish you the best of luck!" Their food was out, and she hurried it into her mouth.

After she was done indulging herself in raman, she ran to her dad's house. As much as she would like to, she couldn't think of it as her home quite yet even though all her stuff was there. When she walked in, she noticed her father sitting on the couch. He looked up at her before walking over. "Hey Naruto, I have something I want to teach you," he said. "Teach me? What is it?" she said. "It's a Jutsu called the Rasengan. Quite lethal if used properly," he said. The Rasengan? Wasn't that her father's signature move? And he was teaching it to her? She barely held in her excitement. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_" she said excitedly. "It might take a while to learn, but.. Anyway, I have some things that I want to explain about it. First, so let's sit down and talk." When both of them sat down, he started. "First off, I'm sure you can learn it, you are my daughter after all. But there are risks to this Jutsu. It can be very lethal. Think before you use it. Secondly, it's not finished yet. I haven't been able to perfect it, even though I've tried to for many years, but have been unsuccessful."

"I also need to talk to you about something else as well, Naruto. You need to be careful. Being a Namikaze, you could easily be targeted by rouge ninja," Minato said. He was leaving out the fact that she was actually already being targeted by a group of rouge ninja called the 'Akatsuki', but he didn't want her to know that for a while, until she was at least 15. As she held half of the nine-tails inside her, they could come at any time for her. He wanted to her to be ready to face them. "Don't worry, Dad! If any come, I'll let them have it! You don't have to worry about it!" she said. He laughed, ruffling her hair. "Time to sleep, Naru-chan. You start training tomorrow." She pouted a little. "But it's so…early! It's only nine!" Minato rolled his eyes and pointed in the direction of her room. She sulked as she walked to her room.

-Time skip to Morning-

Naruto woke up to Minato yelling for her to get up. She covered her head with a pillow before remembering that he had promised to teach her the Rasengan. She rolled around until she accidently got tangled in her bed sheets. She struggled and rolled until she ended up on the floor. Her dad was there in a few seconds. He did nothing but stare for a few minutes before face palming and laughing. She rolled around furiously and inched toward him like a worm. "You just keep laughing!" she said in a threatening voice which just made Minato laugh harder. His daughter was such a klutz! She groaned and wiggled out of the bed sheets with some difficulty. Minato rolled his eyes at her before forcing himself to stop laughing. She pushed him out of her room. "Hey! I have to get dressed! Out!" she said as she closed the door. She opened her closet and took out an outfit- an orange and blue jacket that fell a few inches above her belly button over a fishnet shirt with a medium-length, black skirt that allowed her to move easily. She had to admit that she got the idea from looking at a mixture of Anko and Ino.

Naruto hurried down the stairs. Her father was in the kitchen cooking bacon and eggs from the smell of it. She peeked around him and shuddered. He obviously wasn't the best cook. "Hey, Dad, can you eat my portion? I'll be back really soon, but I need to talk to Sakura and Sasuke real fast!" she said as she ran out the door, not giving him a chance to reply. She slowed down after being a few feet away. To be honest, she didn't actually have a reason to leave besides not wanting to eat her father's cooking. It was quite…unappetizing. She hurried over to Ichiraku's and grabbed a bowl of raman, gulping it down.

A glance around the corner revealed Neji and Kiba. She raised an eyebrow; that was a weird combination. She paid for her meal before watching them walk beside each other. She followed behind them, but not close enough to hear what they were saying. Eventually they split down different paths. She considered following one of them, but decided not to. She started to run, but couldn't stop quick enough to stop from bumping into another figure. She quickly noted that it was Sasuke. She pushed herself up, and he did the same. "Oh. Hi Sasuke," she said, rubbing the back of her head. "Naruto," he greeted before leaving. Her eyes followed him, guessing that he was going back to his home. Speaking of home..She started to run again until she was back within her father's sight. She walked inside.

With a raised eyebrow, she quickly noted that he had balloons everywhere. Literally! They were littered all over the living room. "Great, you're back!" he said before handing her a balloon. He went into explaining all about this jutsu in more detail. Her eyes narrowed, trying to take all of this in. This might end up being a little harder than she expected..

* * *

**I'm doing a major timeskip in the next chapter all the way to the 3rd part of the chunnin exams. Reason being is that Jiraiya isn't going to show up until later, so there isn't much to write.**


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